Preface: Toronto’s newest cultural landmark is the Aga Khan Museum, dedicated to collecting art and artefacts from throughout the Islamic world. A serene and inclusive site, it aims to educate and unite visitors of all faiths.

The Aga Khan Museum is glistening confidently, almost defiantly, beneath overcast skies when monocle visits. Opened in September on the outskirts of Toronto, it is North America’s first repository of artworks and artefacts from the Muslim world. The Aga Khan, the France-based spiritual leader of an estimated 15 million Ismaili Muslims, conceived the project 20 years ago.

“The objective is to educate the world not through the formal language of textbooks but through the language of objects, which have emotional impact on both young and old.”

– Luis Monreal, General Manager, Aga Khan Trust for Culture

The solution has been modelled after the Shah Mosque and its adjacent grounds in Isfahan, Iran. The ca$300m (€212m) Toronto interpretation is a 100-metre-wide char-bagh (a formal four-part garden) flanked on one side by the Ismaili Centre of Toronto and the Aga Khan Museum on the other. “The buildings are subordinate to the formal garden that embodies the identity of the place,” says Kamemoto. On entering the tranquil compound visitors leave behind the rumbling traffic of the nearby Don Valley parkway and step into an environment calibrated to relax the spirit.

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Spreading positive inspirations since 2006 (established). Ismailimail is a home of the largest collection of stories from the world of Ismaili Muslims and community. An independent, civil-society initiative, which is voluntarily run by enthusiasts. More details at the About section.